Source Code Release: One Year Later
The release was not without problems, however. Initially, it was discovered that the two .zip files I received (josource.zip and jkasource.zip) were not actually labelled correctly; the JK2 source code was actually the XBOX code for JK2. The subject of the XBOX code sparked controversy, as there were proprietary libraries from RAD Game Tools and Microsoft which were included in the code. Technically speaking, the libraries were pay-to-use, so this could be considered software piracy to some degree. In addition, the code was not intended for modern compilers, so it took a few days of editing to get a compilable version of the code. Due to this, Raven Software unfortunately pulled the source code, and the people involved have been in hot water ever since.
The coders split up, each of us working to get a section of the game compiling and working. Singleplayer and multiplayer were completed at roughly the same time. In the meantime, Raz0r had begun work on assembling a common project for all of JK - titled OpenJK. Originally, there was some discussion with the ioquake3 team to build an iojamp or iojk. Some conflicts and ideological issues arose between the ioquake3 project head and our coders, and OpenJK became the more predominant project. In a year's time, many of the exploits and bugs which plagued the original game were fixed, and new features, such as a modular renderer system, were added. While a first release has yet to see fruition, the project is still going strong, and code is being committed on a daily basis.
Many projects also went opensource with the release of the source code. Most notably, Jedi Knight Galaxies went completely opensource, allowing others to contribute on both assets and code. The codebase was retooled from the ground-up to work with OpenJK, and it still remains in active development. Also, several other notable mods became public, including compJA and JA++. @ent's mod, jaMME, gave a whole new dimension to video creators. OpenJK is also being considered by the Moviebattles team.
I have asked the coders about what they remember thinking about and doing when the code first came out:
ZTM: "The Jedi Academy GPL release appears to be the Xbox port."
ensiform: what ZTM said.
Scooper: well, I had just arrived the next day and there were tons of people in IRC
RMS: This GPL soup has proprietary products. I specifically ordered free.
Xycaleth: i remember Rich Whitehouse coming on to the channel and saying that he would make the game run with 300 reborn onscreen. I just laughed and laughed.
Raz0r: ensiform and eezstreet were talking about the SP source probably getting released. As I recall, eez was like "OMFG, THEY GAVE ME THE SOURCE," and ensiform was like "what. no way. is it full source?" After a few minutes, eez said "yes!!!" and gave us a link.
spior: I remember [the #JACoders IRC channel] being packed as all hell the day afterwards. there was tons of commotion.
deepy: It was a truly exciting moment, it was better than sneezing
Thinking about the future, contributors had this to say:
ensiform: About the same as with Q3. Let's fix the fucking bugs.
ent: I wasn't thinking about future at all, but I was happy that I could make the mod which I wanted. and the source releease is a cause. my thoughts are that now more people can make cooler vids 
deepy: I feel a bright future ahead, the source release has enabled some truly great people to continue perfecting JKA
The following infographic lays out the statistics of the project as a whole. I was hoping we could have some more of these in the future. 
Click here to download as .PNG
What do you think about the source release? Do you think it has helped or hurt the community as a whole? Let us know how you think in the comments.
By eezstreet, in Community News,
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